


Quadruple Drabble: Contingencies.

by Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comment Fic, Community: fic_promptly, Quadruple Drabble, Time Period: Reign of Gregor Vorbarra, Time Period: Vordarian's Pretendership, Time Period: Vorkosigan Regency
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-25
Updated: 2011-02-25
Packaged: 2017-10-15 22:38:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/165572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannamichaels/pseuds/Lanna%20Michaels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What news do you have from the capital?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quadruple Drabble: Contingencies.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://philomytha.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**philomytha**](http://philomytha.dreamwidth.org/) 's prompt on [](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**fic_promptly**](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/) : _Vorkosigan, Aral and Padma, you shouldn't be here!_.

"Aral?" Padma asks, rushing towards him. "You shouldn't be here!"

"It's my District, isn't it?" Aral asks, smiling grimly. "What news do you have from the capital?"

"We first heard of chaos five minutes ago," Padma says, falling back on reporting as Aral keeps walking past him, deeper into Hassadar Medical. Padma matches Aral's pace and tries to ignore Aral's guards spreading out through the hospital. Wondering about the loyalty of the security forces is a useless distraction right now. Either they're loyal or they're not and there's nothing that can be done about that right now. "Where are we going?"

"Where's Alys?" Aral says in response and Padma, without a word, leads Aral to the maternity ward. "We need to evacuate her," Aral continues unnecessarily.

"The doctors will never allow that, Regent or no," Padma says. "Dammit, Aral, you told us to come here in case the capital exploded. I can leave, and you know I'll follow you on any wormhole jump to hell that you have planned, and I'll do it gladly, cousin. But you are not moving Alys."

"Unless the boy is coming out right now, we're leaving. All of us," Aral orders. "And Alys is going into hiding. They tried to kill my son. They might still have succeeded. I won't allow them-"

"I said you're not moving her," Padma says, "I didn't say you couldn't hide her. This is a major hospital. Do you have any idea how many babies are born here every day? They're your liege-people, Aral, and, congratulations, you have a lot of them. One more mother, one more son. They'll be grains among sand, and they're not leaving."

Aral growls low in his throat. "If you insist on your son's risking his life in service to start now, Captain."

"Don't you dare, my Lord Regent," Padma says. "Don't. My son's going to be born here, in your District, and my wife will remain here, and if this war drags on, we can retrieve them later. But you will not risk my son the way you risked yours," and he leaves it there and says the rest of it with a glare.

Aral glares in return and then curses. "But you're coming," he says. "You'll be painting a target on them if you stay."

"I'll come," Padma agrees. "To the end of this war and back."

Aral nods. They leave without goodbyes.


End file.
